Butcher’s broom, whose stems were once supposedly bundled together by butchers in Europe to sweep the gunk off their cutting boards, is today widely peddled as a treatment for a variety of venous problems such as hemorrhoids and varicose veins. Its medicinal properties have apparently been recognized for more than 2000 years, and its long European history has given it a variety of names; it is also known as box holly, kneeholy, knee holly, kneeholm, pettigree, sweet broom, and Jew’s myrtle. It also occasionally goes by its scientific name, Ruscus aculeatus.

Vein-healing properties and a tonf of names, however, are not the coolest things about this plant (at least to me). Butcher’s broom’s most evolutionarily odd feature is its complete lack of leaves. Yeah, those “leaves” in the picture above are not leaves at all but are rather “cladophylls,” or highly modified stems that have been flattened to essentially serve the purpose of a leaf.

Flowers and fruits therefore grow on the cladophylls themselves, making for a very odd looking plant!

The flowers of butcher's broom grow in the center of the cladophylls.

A close-up of a flower.

Large fruit also grow from the centers of the cladophylls.

A close-up of a Ruscus aculeatus fruit

More information:

Butcher’s Broom [Drugs.com] – This page has a lot of useful information about Butcher’s broom, particularly for those of you interested in its medicinal properties.

Ruscus aculeatus [Wikipedia] – Not much info here, but a good list of “synonyms” for butcher’s broom.

Easily confused with the hair of a shedding yeti, the "snow roots" of Corydalis conorhiza are the first of their kind.

During the long, freezing Caucasian winters that drive most plants into fruitless dormancy, Corydalis conorhiza busies itself with growing unique “snow roots” that suck nutrients from the snow above it. The snow roots, which were discovered by botanists exploring the Caucasus mountains in southern Russia, are almost more similar to the filaments of fungi mycelium than they are to the normal ground roots of the plant. They are extremely thin and rot away almost immediately after the protective layer of snow melts away from them.

Covered by snow for most of the year, C. conorhiza has only a short summer growing season to produce shoots and flowers. The scientists who discovered the plant determined that the snow roots absorbed nitrogen, an essential yet scarce factor for plant growth, from the snow they grew in, allowing them to make the most of their few months of summer.

The flourishing flowers and shoots of a C. conorhiza, perhaps nourished by its snow roots

Note – Here’s a challenge for you Wikipedia fans:

There’s no Wikipedia page for Corydalis conorhiza! I don’t know about you, but I think that that’s unacceptable. Go out and make a Wikipedia page! I would do it myself, but, um, I want to leave the honor to one of you. Yep.

More information: Everything here pretty much comes from the New Scientist article.

Tuataras are among the most evolutionarily distinct creatures in the class Reptilia. Of the four orders of reptiles (Crocodilia, Sphenodontia, Squamata, and Testudines), Sphenodontia (meaning “wedge tooth”), is devoted entirely to the two living species of tuatara, as well as many extinct species. Sphenodonts flourished 200 million years ago and diversified into a wide array of creatures, such as aquatic pleurosaurs.

An illustration of Pleurosaurus goldfussi, a sphenodontian from the late Jurassic that lived in what is now Germany and France.

Tuataras once flourished throughout New Zealand but are now extinct on the main islands. However, ambitious rat eradication programs have reintroduced tuataras to many remote islands off the coast of New Zealand’s main islands.

Tuataras, however, retain the ancient lizard-shaped body plan of tetrapods, though they are only distantly related to squamates, the order of reptiles that includes lizards. They used to be widespread throughout New Zealand; however, their numbers declined with the arrival of Polynesians and then Europeans, who brought cats, dogs, and rats to the islands. Rats in particular have decimated tuataras by eating their eggs, and tuataras can now only live on remote islands off the coast of the main islands of New Zealand.

Special attributes:

Pronounced parietal eye – Tuataras, like many other chordates, have a parietal eye on the top of their head. Tuataras are distinct, though, in that their “third eye” is relatively well-developed, with a lens and retina. They have, according to Wikipedia, the most pronounced parietal eyes of all extant tetrapods. Their third eyes are only visible as a translucent spot on the top of their heads while they are juveniles; as they mature, pigments and scales cover up the spot. The function of their third eye is unknown; however, it probably plays a role in regulating circadian rhythms and temperature because it is a part of the epithalamus, which controls those processes. It might also manufacture vitamin D.

Primitive hearing organs – Tuataras (along with turtles) lack ear drums and ear holes, and their middle ear cavity, which in most amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals) is filled with fluid, is instead full of adipose (fatty) tissue. They also have primitive middle ear bones and unspecialized hair cells in their inner ear. Because of the simple construction of their ears, they can only hear frequencies from 100-800 Hz, compared to a range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz (20kHz) for humans.

Funky teeth – Tuataras have two rows of teeth on their upper jaw and one row of teeth on their bottom jaw. The teeth on the bottom jaw fit in between the two upper rows of teeth, allowing tuataras to slice their prey with their teeth. This dental configuration is unique among reptiles; snakes also have two rows of teeth on their upper jaw, but they use them for different purposes. Judging by the information online, the teeth are often said to be extensions of the jaw bone rather than actual teeth. However, Marc Jones informed me in the comments that tuatara teeth are, indeed, real teeth. However, they are fused to the jaw bone and their enamel is very thin. The teeth wear down as the tuatara ages until only smooth jaw bone is left, so old tuataras stick mostly to soft food like worms and grubs.

Tuatara teeth form serations on the jaws. A row of teeth on the bottom jaw fits between the two rows on the upper jaw. The skull also has a beak-like projection on the front part of the upper jaw.

Ribs – Tuataras are the only tetrapods (a term that includes amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds) with well-developed gastralia and uncinate processes. Gastralia are rib-like bones that form a cage on the underside of the abdomen, though they are not actually attached to the spine or ribs. They give tuataras a hard underbelly. The ribs of tuataras are short and have small, hooked projections called uncinate processes, which are present in a less-developed form in birds.

Tuataras have abdominal ribs, called gastralia, that gird their underside. They also have pronounced uncinate processes.

Miscellaneous traits –Vertebrae – Tuatara have hourglass shaped (amphicoelous) vertebrae. Though this shape is typical for fish and amphibians, the tuatara is the only amniote (a term that encompasses reptiles, mammals, and birds) known to have such vertebrae.Eyes – Though not unique to tuataras, their eyes can focus independently and have “duplex retinas” that contain two types of visual cells for day and night vision. Like many other amniotes, they also have a tapetum lucidum, which is a reflective membrane at the back of the eye that enhances night vision, and they have three eyelids – a top one, a bottom one, and a nictitating membrane, which is a clear membrane that moistens and protects the eye while also allowing sight.Skull– Tuataras arguably have the most primitive skulls of all the amniotes (turtle skulls might be more primitive), with many of the original amniote features preserved. Most notably, they have two large openings, the temporal fenestrae (meaning “side windows” in Latin), on each side of their skulls [although, as Marc informs me, “The lower temporal bar which forms the lower boundary of the lower temporal fenestra has been secondarily acquired.” So the temporal fenestrae are not inherited directly from primitive amniotes, although they are still a somewhat unique feature of the tuatara].

The two large temporal fenestrae on each side of the skull are the most notable primitive features of the tuatara skull.

A good side view of a tuatara

In the News: You may have heard recently of Henry, a 111-year-old tuatara. For decades Henry was grumpy and aggressive, showing no interest in mating and attacking nearby tuataras. However, in 2002, veterinarians recognized and removed a tumor on Henry’s testicles, and by 2008 he had fertilized Mildred, another tuatara who is probably between 70-80 years old. In a boon to the Southland Museum’s tuatara breeding program, she laid 12 eggs, 11 of which hatched.Lizard love: 110-year dinosaur descendant to become daddy [CNN] – while I was looking at news article relating to Henry, I found a ton of absolutely incorrect information on almost every web site. This CNN article is ok; however, if you’re interested in tuataras, make sure to stick to dependable sources, not sites like Lalate.com, which reports that “the tuatara is reportedly the only surviving member of the dinosaurs species.”

More Information: I have to admit that I owe a lot (almost everything) on this page to the tuatara Wikipedia article. However, the Wikipedia article draws on a ton of erudite sources for its information, which probably explains why it is so in-depth and technical. So in this case, ironically, Wikipedia is a much more dependable source of information than most of the stuff out there on the web.

The Hispaniolan Solenodon, Solenodon paradoxus, is one of the rarest mammals on Earth. And it's poisonous.

Solenodons are an evolutionarily distinct family of insectivores which live primarily on Caribbean islands. There are only two living species in the family Solenodontidae (the Cuban and the Hispaniolan Solenodons), and they are among the rarest and most elusive mammals on the planet. Solenodons have been driven to near extinction due mainly to the introduction of predators like cats, dogs, and mongooses into their habitat. Solenodons are elusive not only because they are rare but also because they are nocturnal burrowing animals, spending most of the day hiding in burrows, logs, and other nooks and crannies.

Special Attributes:

Poisonous Fangs – Solenodons are the only known mammal able to deliver venom through fangs. Venom is produced in modified salivary glands and is then released through grooves in the second lower incisors (“solenodon” comes from the Greek for “grooved tooth”). Though the poison may prove useful in killing the solenodon’s prey, such as earthworms, insects, and other small animals, it does not seem to be very effective in combating predators.

Venom flows through the groove in the large second lower incisors to deliver a poisonous bite.

Glands – Besides their modified salivary glands, solenodons also have glands in the armpits and groin which release a musky, goat-like smell.

Nose – The anatomy of the solenodon’s long nose is actually very distinct. The solenodon has a unique bone, called the os proboscis, which forms a ball-and-socket joint with the base of the nose and helps the solenodon control its nose movements. The structure of the nose supports a very long cartiliginous snout, which, given its length and mobility, can easily probe small nooks and crevices for bugs. The video of a solenodon below shows just how large its nose is in comparison to its body.Vodpod videos no longer available.

Teats – Female solenodons have only two teats, which are positioned at the rear of the body near the buttocks. Wikipedia claims that this allows baby solenodons to trail their mothers during the first few weeks of their lives. This actually makes sense, because solenodons live in dark burrows where it would probably be easy for a solenodon to lose an errant baby.

Incompetence at Living – Due to their status as a top predator in Cuba and Hispaniola prior to the introduction of other animals by Europeans, solenodons possess a host of traits that seem to doom them to extinction.
History of Extinction – Solenodon fossils dating back 30 million years have been found in North America. However, their range has been reduced to just two Caribbean islands, where they have probably been able to survive mainly due to the small number of predators. At least one species of solenodon died out shortly after the arrival of Europeans on Hispaniola.Wobbly Walking – Solenodons are well-known for their inability to walk in a straight path, and they reportedly trip and tumble when they try to run.Dealing with Predators – Though solenodons have large claws and are known to fiercely attack their prey, when pursued they stop in their tracks and hide their heads, allowing predators to easily kill them.Slow Rate of Breeding – Female solenodons have a maximum of two litters per year with a litter size of 1-3 babies. This is exceptionally slow compared to similar animals. Additionally, females have only two teats, so even if they have three babies, one will probably die from starvation.

The Cuban Solenodon, Solenodon cubanus, is not the most photogenic of mammals.

The Araucariaceae family of conifers contains many odd and unusual trees. It is a very primitive family of conifers – they flourished during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and they retain their Jurassic look. The 41 extant species are scattered throughout the Southern hemisphere, from the ancient monkey puzzle forests of Chile and Argentina to a secluded grove of the ancient Wollemi pine tree in an Australian canyon.

At first I intended to devote this article to the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). However, I soon discovered that the monkey puzzle is part of a family of similarly odd trees, and I expanded this article to cover all the oddities of Araucariaceae. The monkey puzzle tree itself is a hardy conifer that is native to Chile and western Argentina. They can grow to be over 100 ft. tall and live to be over 1000 years old. They grow cones that release seeds similar to large pine nuts; monkey puzzle trees would actually make an ideal food crop if it were not for the three to four decades it takes for them to mature.

The distribution of A. araucana in Central Chile

Monkey puzzle nuts are an important food source for many people in central Chile

Forests of monkey puzzle trees can be found in Chile and Argentina

Special Attributes:

Long past – Fossils of plants very similar to the monkey puzzle tree, Araucaria araucana, have been found dating back to the Jurassic Period 150 million years ago. The leaves of the tree are thought not to have evolved to ward off monkeys (which don’t live in its natural habit) but to discourage dinosaurs from eating its branches! Wollemia nobilis, or the Wollemi pine tree, is the last living member of its genus, though Wollemiafossils dating back 200 million years have been discovered. The scattered distribution of Araucariaceans can be explained by their past. Once widespread throughout the world, most died out along with the dinosaurs. Some, however, survived in (a more hospitable) Antarctica, from which they spread to many areas in the Southern hemisphere. Most of the populations remaining today are relics of past populations.

A grove of Wollemi pine trees discovered in a canyon in Wollemi National Park, near Sydney.

Large cones – The bunya-bunya tree, Araucaria bidwillii, found in nature reserves in Australia, grows some of the largest cones of any conifer. The cones can grow up to 35 cm. (over a foot) in diameter and weigh up to 10 kgs (22 lbs) (although a more typical weight is apparently 4.5 kgs (10 lbs) according to WaynesWord). The germination of bunya-bunya seeds is also very unusual – they form underground tubers, waiting for optimal conditions before they actually sprout aerial shoots. Many other Araucariaceans grow large cones as well.

An enormous bunya-bunya cone next to a pineapple for comparison

Bunya-bunya seeds served as a food source for Australian Aborigines.

The cones of the dammar pine, Agathis robusta, are also very large. The dammar pine is unusual among conifers in that its leaves are broad rather than needle- or scale-like.

Great height and age – Most Araucariaceans grow over 100 ft. tall. The tallest Wollemi pine tree (nicknamed King Billy) is 130 ft. tall; monkey puzzle trees and bunya-bunya trees over 150 ft. tall have been reported; and most exceptionally, an Araucaria hunsteinii 292 ft. tall was supposedly discovered in New Guinea. Along with their great height Araucariaceans apparently also attain very old age. Many species live to be over 1000 years old, and almost all can live to be over 400 years old.

More Information: Once again, I owe almost everything on this page to the information on Wayne’s Word. However, many tree enthusiasts have posted information on the web about Araucariaceans. I also highly recommend reading the Wikipedia articles for general information on the genera and family.

This odd plant, called “one of the most bizarre wildflowers in North America” by Wayne Armstrong, a professor at Palomar University, lives along with a few other members of its small genus in the deserts of the Southwestern United States. The genus includes Pholisma sonorae, otherwise known as “sand food,” which is pictured above, as well as Pholisma arenarium, also known as the “sand plant” and the “desert Christmas tree,” pictured below.

The flower of a sand plant parasitizing the roots of a "burro brush."

Special attributes:

Parasitism – these plants live mostly subterranean lives, deriving energy from the roots of other plants. They have no chlorophyll – the only time they ever come up to the surface is when they grow their flowers.

Note: All of the photos from Wayne’s Word came from the same page, so I didn’t make individual citations for each one. You can tell which ones are from Wayne’s Word by looking for a black frame around it and a “[Copyright] W.P. Armstrong 2008” in the bottom lefthand corner.

The flannel moth, otherwise known as the pussy moth, is among the hairiest of insects. It can be found throughout the southern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America. The most distinguishing feature of these moths and their larvae is their appearance. The larva is known by several names, including asp caterpillar and puss caterpillar. They are possibly even hairier than their adult forms, and their glossy coat of fur often tempts people to pick them up. Unfortunately, the hair of the caterpillar is very poisonous and will immediately cause an incredibly painful sting and rash. The sting is usually localized to the area that touched the asp, but it can spread quite a bit and cause severe distress.

This fluffy caterpillar packs a painful sting

The asp caterpillar looks even more amazing on film:

More Information: These moths are not amazingly unique compared to other moths unfortunately, so just the Wikipedia page proved to be very informative. The poisonous fur coat is the main unique feature of this species.

Coconut crabs, Birgus latro, are among the most amazing crustaceans in the world. They are not actually true crabs but terrestrial hermit crabs. When they are young and still the size of your thumbnail they live in snail shells (and occasionally broken coconut shells); however, as they age their carapace hardens with chitin and chalk and they begin to not really need protective covering. They go through periodic molts that leave them vulnerable for up to a month, and they curl their tails under their bodies as true crabs do.

Special attributes:

Giant size – They are the largest of land arthropods. They can grow up to 16 in. in length,weigh up to 9 lbs., and have a leg span of up to 3 ft. Their size probably contributes to their slow aging process. Coconut crabs take 4-8 years to become sexually mature, which is very long for a crustacean. They can also live to be over 30 years old and never stop growing through their life. Their claws can lift objects weighing up to 64 lbs., so it’s no wonder they use them to crack open and eat coconuts!

A picture of two coconut crabs opening a coconut, in case you didn't believe me!

Branchiostegal lungs – Coconut crabs have branchiostegal lungs, which are a unique adaptation to land and are considered to be a developmental stage between gills and lungs. The crabs use their tiny fifth pair of legs to keep the lungs, which still require water to function, clean and moist. Though coconut crabs have some small gills, they will drown if submerged in water for a few minutes.

The tiny, slender fifth pair of legs, which clean the crab's lungs, are visible in this diagram

Sense of Smell – in another unique land adaptation, coconut crabs have evolved very different sensory organs than their aquatic ancestors. Normal crabs have special organs on their antennae that pick up both the concentration and the direction of chemicals in the water. Coconut crabs, however, have evolved very sensitive sensory organs that can detect smells in the air, and they flick their antennae to pick up scents much as insects do.

Other Stuff – just a few miscellaneous facts about coconut crabs
– They are also known as “robber crabs” and “palm thieves” because of their tendency to steal food from each other as well as because they are known to steal shiny objects from people.
– Coconut crabs are often considered to be delicacies in the places where they are found, and their flesh is thought to be an aphrodisiac.
– Coconut crabs are widely distributed throughout the islands of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Though adult crabs suffocate in water, they lay their eggs in the ocean and their larvae float on the water for up to month, allowing them to spread to far away islands.

The range of the coconut crab

– Probably due to their wide distribution coconut crabs range in color from red to blue to brown.

Here’s a short clip of a coconut crab walking around:

Coconut crabs moving through a forest

A captured coconut crab probably being taken to the market

A female coconut crab carrying her eggs

A coconut crab apparently found on a garbage can on Christmas Island

More information: Wikipedia actually has a very decent page on coconut crabs that satisfied most of my curiosity.

Before I even begin to talk about these creatures, I have to say that caecilians (which get their name from caecus, the Latin word for blind) are neither worms nor snakes nor even legless lizards – they are amphibians, relatives of frogs and salamanders. Most live in underground burrows in tropical rain forests, and there are several aquatic species. Though they look squishy and wormy, they do have bones and teeth. Their skull is hard and pointed so they can burrow through the ground. Though a layer of protective skin covers their eyes, they are actually sensitive to light and dark. Like other amphibians some caecilians have poison glands in their skin, and like snakes most have evolved to have an enlarged left lung with a reduced right one.

Special attributes:

Tentacles – yes, caecilians have (small) tentacles. They are located on the skull between the eyes and the nostrils, and in at least one species of caecilian the eyes actually protrude on the tips of the tentacles (like a snail’s). The tentacles are believed to be sensory organs that help it detect chemicals in the soil.
A tiny tentacle (not to mention an eye, a nostril, and the mouth) is visible in the head shot of a caecilian below.

Caecilian head with eyes, nose, mouth, and tentacles

Feeding of the young – some caecilian mothers feed their young by growing a layer of fatty skin. The mother’s brood then use their specialized teeth to shear the nutritious skin off of their mother. BBC Video of feeding youngThe BBC video has more feeding action (and an annoying narrator), but here’s a quick one of a caecilian feeding on its mother’s skin.

Other stuff – Caecilians have quite a few other characteristics, which, if not unique, are at least interesting to know.
– Oviparity – some caecilians lay eggs, which can either hatch into gilled larvae or fully developed young.
– Viviparity – some caecilians give birth to live young, which can be either fully developed or altricial (still not fully developed and dependent upon the mother, like a human baby). Dermatotrophy (the eating of the skin) and matrotrophy (the eating of the oviduct lining) by young occur in caecilian species that give birth to altricial babies.
– Sex organs – male caecilians have unique sex organs, but the terminology involved in explaining it is pretty complex and not very interesting, so you’ll have to read this article to learn more about it.

Caecilian diversity – here’s a small sampling of some caecilians (you can find these just by doing a Google Image search)

Ichthyophis bannanicus, the same type of caecilian as shown above with the tentacle

A recently-discovered Indian caecilian, Gegeneophis mhadeiensis

Typhlonectes natans, an aquatic caecilian endemic to South America

The tiny Sagalla caecilian, Boulengerula niedeni, found only on Sagall Hill in SE Kenya

A ringed female caecilian, Siphonops annulatus, found in Ecuador

Schistometopum thomense, otherwise known as the "cobra bobo," is found only on Sao Tome Island in the Gulf of Guinea

The longest species of caecilian, Caecilia thompsoni, can grow to be 1.5 m in length

“Flesh-eating” amphibians filmed [BBC News] This article has a link to the video of the young caecilians eating the skin of their mother. I found the audio kind of annoying, but the video itself is very good.

This Welwitschia mirabilis, nicknamed "The Big Welwitschia" stands 4.6 ft tall and is over 13 ft in diameter.

Welwitschia, dubbed by Wikipedia to be “one of the oddest plants in existence,” is a gymnosperm (it has seeds but not flowers) that is so unique that it has an order all to itself (in contrast, we humans share our order, Primates, with everything from lemurs to orangutans). Occurring only in the Namib Desert in southwestern Africa, Welwitschia plants can live to be 2,000 years old.

Special attributes:

Leaves – Welwitschia plants grow only two leaves, which can be up to 4 m long and never stop growing over the life of the plant. The leaves sometimes split into straps, which would explain why the plant above seems to have more than two leaves.

Welwitschia plants only have two leaves, though they often split as the plant ages

Water-saving adaptations – These long-leaved plants are the only gymnosperms (a term that encompasses everything from ginkgo trees to coastal redwoods) to use the CAM pathway for photosynthesis. The CAM, or crassulacean acid metabolism, pathway for photosynthesis helps plants conserve water and is common in grasses and desert angiosperms (flowering plants), though it makes Welwitschia an exceptional gymnosperm.
Welwitschia can also absorb moisture from the air, and they grow a very large tap root that allows them to reach and store deep water.

Gymnosperms have strobili instead of flowers. The strobili of conifers like pine trees are better known as cones. Welwitschia have male and female strobili.